


Your Average Love Story

by WolfyNights



Category: Big Nate Series - Lincoln Pierce (Novels)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Awkwardness, Banter, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Titles, Middle School, Winter, how do u write kissing, how do you write in general?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:54:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25651672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfyNights/pseuds/WolfyNights
Summary: Francis and Teddy bet Nate that he can't go out with Gina for a week. They find out that they like each other more than they thought...-please don't be too harsh in the comments, it's kind of my first time writing something romance related hhhh
Relationships: Nate Wright/Gina Hemphill-Toms
Comments: 9
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1 - Monday

"Oooh come on Gina, I know you're _madly_ in love with me."

The blonde-haired girl looked behind her, averting her attention from the computer, and stared hard at the ravenette who gave her a cheeky grin. Only the two of them were in the room right now, Nate of course pestering her while she was trying to do her job as an editor for the school's newspaper.

"I am _not_." She seethed, gritting her teeth.

"Oh, but it's all so clear, isn't it? The teachers always assign your seat behind me or in front of me... which indicates that we are _destined_ to be together~" The other replied, leaning against the table she was working at.

"Oh yeah? And do you have any other evidence that shows that I'm ' _madly in love with you_ '?" Gina felt her face get hot, slowly swiveling her seat to fully face him.

"Yes! I _do_ have more evidence, thank you for asking." The other's eyes sparkled mischievously, "For example, you're paying attention to _me_ ! Like right now, for instance! You could've ignored me but you _didn't_!"

"I—" She paused, confusion flickering over her face, "Well that's because you're being _annoying_ , pinhead. I _have_ to reply back or something. Would you like it if I just stopped talking to you? Plus..." The blonde's voice trailed off into silence, leaving the two of them in an awkward quiet.

 _It's fun arguing with you..._

She kept that thought to herself.

"Okay. Well, whatever. Another piece of evidence that you clearly like me is that you _stare_ at me _in all of my classes_ ." Nate placed a hand under his chin like he was some deep-thinking philosopher, " _Now_ how can you argue against that?"

"Well... you literally sit in front of me in most of them. Where _else_ am I supposed to be staring at?" Gina scoffed, narrowing her eyes.

"Your book, duh."

"And? You think I read books _all the time_?"

The other lifted an eyebrow, frowning in puzzlement. "You don't?"

"OF COURSE NOT, YOU IDIOT!"

"Kidding! I'm _kidding_!" Nate waved his hands, smiling nervously.

They stared at each other for a moment before glancing away.

"But seriously though... you _do_ admit you stare at me? My looks captivate you into a lovesick _trance_ ~?"

"Just remove the 'love' part and you're good." She smirked smugly, "Just being in a one foot radius of you makes me feel nauseous."

"That just might be my lucky socks you're talking about... people say it has that effect."

"Oh— _gross_." Gina's face went pale, sticking her tongue out in disgust.

"...But enough talking about that. Let's get back to the topic at hand, shall we?" The ravenette blinked slowly, his grin returning, "It's so clear that you're just _infatuated_ with me, Gina. You're just in _denial_."

"Pssshhh. Says the one who has been chasing after Jenny for years."

" _Hey_ ! It was clear that deep down she loved me... _she_ was the one in denial.”

"Yeah, _suuuure_." The other rolled her eyes, "Anyways, what are you even doing with all these weird assumptions? Are you trying to imply that we should go out or something?”

Nate's eyes widened for a brief moment but quickly gained composure again, "Hmm? I have _no_ idea what you're talking about. I just want to confirm my suspicions that you like me, that's all." He eyed over at the slightly opened door, glaring daggers at it.

"Uh-huh... and why are you looking over there?"

"Hmm? _No reason_. No reason at all..."

"Wow, that sure was convincing." The blonde narrowed her eyes, "Okay, seriously, what _is_ going on? You're acting super sketchy right now."

She watched as his mouth curved to a small frown. Gina heard her breath hitch when the ravenette began leaning closer to her, almost like he was going to _kiss_ her. Instead, Nate simply paused, mere centimetres from the other's face.

" _Okay, so,_ basically _Francis and Teddy bet me 30 dollars that I could get you to go out with me..._ " He whispered, glancing at the door again, a bit nervous, " _And they're kind of watching us right now..._ "

" _Oh wow. You literally agreed to this only for_ 30 bucks _?!_ " She hissed, making sure her voice was low.

" _...Uhmm... 30 dollars and a jumbo bag of Cheez Doodles, actually..._ "

" _Good grief..._ " She felt the urge to facepalm but remained still, " _Okay? So how are you going to do this? You know I can just reject you, humiliate you, and you'll never get your 30 dollars and the Cheez Doodles?_ "

" _Uhhh... what if we just, y’know,_ pretend _to go out? And, uhm, I can give you 15 dollars and half of the bag after we win this?_ "

" _Hmm... eh, sure, why not? But you can keep the Cheez Doodles, I'm not a fan of them._ " Gina paused, licking her lips, " _So... we just have to_ pretend _to go out, huh? It'll feel weird having to be nice to each other._ "

" _Errr_ _... Perhaps we can 'break up' after one week? All we have to do is prove to them that we're going steady, then we'll get the goods, after that we can just split up for some reason, and we can just go back to our usual selves? And maybe, after all of that, we can laugh in their faces that we actually got them to believe that we even liked each other at all and that it was all_ fake.”

"Huh, you actually sound _smart_ for once..."

"Why thank y— _Wait a minute_!"

"Take it as a compliment, buddy. It's the only one you'll get from me that's genuine."

" _Thanks_." Nate replied dryly, eyeing the door again. "So, should I go tell them that we have the hots for each other or something? That I was so _charming_ that I even got my archenemy to fall in love with me?"

"Pfft, you should probably word that differently... but other than that sure. Now lemme get back to work." She waved him off, facing herself in front of the computer again.

The ravenette lingered for a moment, shuffling his feet back and forth before walking off, leaving her alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i started writing this like a month ago but was afraid i would discontinue it and disappoint my readers so that's the reason why all the chapters are posted on the same day because i finished it just yesterday ᕙ(`▿´)ᕗ are you proud of me mom


	2. Chapter 2 - Tuesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First kisses between sworn enemies.

“Wow. So you two are _really_ going out, riiiight?” Teddy snickered, jabbing Nate in the ribs. 

“Uhh, yes, of course we are.”

“Then how can you prove that to us? Maybe a full makeout session, hmm?” Francis stifled a laugh, making a kissy face.

“Jesus Christ… don’t act so perverted.” The ravenette gritted his teeth, feigning a grin, 

“We just _l-li-liii…”_ He coughed, trying to force the word out, “ _like_ each other, okay?”

The other two gave each other puzzled looks. There was a moment of silence, snow crunching underneath their shoes, small flutters of snowflakes tickling their noses. They could see small puffs of their breath in the cold air.

“But, in all seriousness, we’re really happy for you two.” Francis smiled.

“Yeah! You guys always seemed to hate each other, but we _knew_ there was the underlying romantic tension between you two… you dimwits just didn’t notice it.” Teddy added.

“Uhhh, thaaaanks.” Nate gave a crooked smile. “So… am I going to have my 30 dollars or what?”

“Hmm… not yet… you still haven’t proven to us that you two are boyfriend and girlfriend, y’know?” The bespectacled boy stated, raising an eyebrow.

The ravenette felt his mouth go dry, eyes widening. _Shit! That’s true… but how would we prove it? Maybe just kissing each other on the cheek will be good enough? Do we have to eat lunch together or something?! Okay… keep your cool… this is all just pretend… no actual feelings are going on between me and her._

“Look, when we see Gina, I’ll go up to her and hug her or something, okay?”

“Wow, just hugging? That’s vanilla as hell.”

“Uhmm… W-well— I can k-kiss her?” _I feel like throwing up…_ Nate felt a bit dizzy at the thought, either from disgust or anxiety. Probably both.

“ _Hmmm..._ okay!”

The three of them entered the school building, going to their lockers. Teddy’s locker was assigned a bit far from the other two, so he waved a “see you later” to his friends before leaving them.

Nate opened the locker, watching as a tsunami of junk pools around him. He felt his whole body twitching, trying his best to calm his nerves.

“Woah, someone looks jumpy.” Francis commented, grabbing his binder and notes and putting his coat and backpack away.

“Well, it’s pretty strange to be dating your worst nemesis…” The other sighed, unzipping his jacket before hanging it up in their shared locker.

“I thought your worst nemesis was Mrs. Godfrey?”

“Well then, the _second_ worst nemesis. She’s still an enemy.” Nate quickly added, “I mean _former_ enemy, heheh…”

Francis looked at him quizzically before shrugging. The two got ready for class in silence, the ravenette shoving all of the mess back into the locker. They both began walking towards Room 212.

“So… have you two told anyone about Gina and me yet?” The ravenette asked, focusing his eyes onto the floor.

“Mmmm, no, I haven’t, but I’m sure Teddy has. It probably hasn’t circulated around the whole school yet, considering only a few people are whispering and staring at you.”

“Hooray, I’m being stared at…” The other grumbled, feeling his ears burning in embarrassment.

“But I’m sure that’ll change when you two prove yourselves that you’re a couple… then more people will stare and whisper!” He grinned, “Oop, here we are now! Go get ‘em, loverboy.”

Nate groaned as they entered the classroom, feeling self-conscious as a few peers eyed him.

“Hello, Nate.” Gina greeted him as he took his seat in front of her.

“Hi, Gina.”

There was an awkward silence between them before the ravenette turned his body towards her.

“ _Francis says we should kiss._ ” He whispered, “ _So we can show him that we’re… y’know…_ ”

“ _O-oh._ ”

They stared at each other for a moment, feeling their faces go red.

“You’re blushing.” The blonde commented.

“You are too.”

Again, more silence.

“Uhhh… we can just… give each other a quick peck? Like… so fast that _we_ won’t even notice it.”

“Yeah… I guess w-we can do that…”

The two both gulped anxiously before closing their eyes and leaning towards each other. They could feel more eyes watching them as the room went suddenly silent. Nate could feel his fingernails digging into his palm using every willpower to continue getting closer towards the other.

 _Holy shit, we’re really doing this._ It both dawned on them of the situation they were in. This wasn’t something they could fake. _Everyone_ was watching them.

 _Back out. Back OUT._ **_BACK OUT_ ** _. ABORT! HALT! DON’T DO THIS!!_ **_STOOOP_ ** _!_ They both internally screamed in panic.

It was too late, their lips already met. For a brief second, they remained like that, both frozen in shock at themselves. Neither of them moved in fear of doing something awkward. _Like this wasn’t awkward enough already…_

As quick as the kiss was, the two quickly separated, breathing hard and opening their eyes. Gina didn’t realize she was holding her breath before exhaling it, feeling her heart hammering in her chest. She swore the whole room could hear it.

“Well, we did it… hooray for us…” Nate whispered nervously, “Th-that was… uhh… _horrible_.”

“I think we were both too tense. You’re literally gritting your teeth.”

“Oh, fuck, I am? Well look at _you_. Your face is as red as a tomato.”

“Yeah, thanks, I didn’t notice how hot I’m feeling right now.” The blonde hissed, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment.

They heard footsteps coming towards them but they didn’t care to see who it was. The two were lost in their own tangled thoughts, emotions clashing with each other.

“Wooh! So you’re not lying, huh?” Francis patted Nate on the back, “To be honest, I kind of doubted you a bit, but you two _kissed_! Truly, a feat for the ages.”

“Okay, okay. So, can I have my 30 dollars and the jumbo bag of Cheez Doodles?”

“Hmm…” The other smirked, “Nah, that won’t be enough… maybe if you two go on a date… then _maybe_.”

The other two felt their mouths go dry, glancing at each other with a forced smile.

“ _Yeeaahh…_ a date… w-we can _do_ that… _right_?” The ravenette straightened his posture, clearing his throat. “I mean, yes, we can do that. Ooh, maybe we can have a double date? You and Sheila, me and Gina.”

“Hey, that actually sounds fun! Maybe the four of us can meet up at lunch or something and discuss where we can go and when we’re free?”

“Y-yep, sounds good.” Gina nodded, trying her best to sound confident after what just happened. _My shattered pride… my torn dignity… those lips… his adorable face… hold up, what the hell am I thinking?_ She bit the inside of her mouth to focus back on the conversation at hand.

“Okay, great!”

The three froze as the bell rang and Mrs. Godfrey entered the classroom with a freshly brewed coffee in her hand.

“Well, see you two lovebirds later.” Francis winked before returning to his seat.

This was going to be a terrible day.


	3. Chapter 3 - Tuesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in which wolfy tries to write humor (and fails)

“Just for your information, I am not having fun being your ‘girlfriend.’” A certain annoyed blonde haired girl spat to her so-called “boyfriend” as they left the school building. 

Teddy had some test to retake after school and Francis suggested that Gina and Nate should walk home together to have some  _ alone time _ . The idea sickened the both of them.

“My feelings are mutual.” The other replied grimly before pitching his voice to a high and annoying tone. “ _ Oh~ My beloved dear, light and love of my life, what do you want to do now? Want to makeout by that tree over there? _ ”

They both stared at each other, the air crackled between them. 

Nate felt his palms sweat.  _ T-That was supposed to be a joke. Did I not sound sarcastic enough? Is she actually going to take that seriously? _ His mind scrambled to find a good reason why her expression remained deadpan.

The ravenette watched the other crack a smile before bursting into laughter. The two froze, startled at the reaction. Then, they both started laughing, almost stumbling over in surprise.

“Oh god, that sounds like one of my  _ nightmares _ .” Gina wiped a stray tear, trying her best to stifle her giggling, and failing.

“I know, right? I think I read that line in one of Mrs. Czerwicki’s trashy romance novels.” Nate snickered, leaning on her for support, both of their faces flushed from the lack of air they were taking in.

They both eventually calmed down, snorting and chuckling a bit from how bizarre it was. The two didn’t realize they were getting confused looks from bystanders, they were too busy trying to suppress their laughter.

“Phew, that was fun. Oh,  _ ow _ , my stomach—” The ravenette coughed a bit in pain.

Gina watched him, mesmerized by his green eyes, like pools of an evergreen forest. His cheeks scarlet from the stinging cold air, that jetblack messy hair spiking out everywhere like it was staticy or something. In a weird way, he kind of looked…  _ cute _ ?

_ Woah there...  _ _ Let's just stop those tracks right there. _ Gina felt her face grow hot as she felt strange feelings burn inside her.

“Hey, you good? You look a bit spaced-out.” Nate snapped his fingers in front of her face, bringing her back down to reality.

“Y-Yeah... just a bit tired, that’s all.” The blonde cleared her throat, looking away nervously.

He blinked at her before smirking, “Wow, was I really that hilarious that you exhausted yourself from laughing? You’re easy to humor.”

“Wha—?” She sputtered, blushing, “No, you dimwit. We literally had four pop quizzes today, of  _ course _ I would be fatigued.”

“Mmmhmm, whatever you say.” The ravenette patted her head, which  _ shouldn’t _ have sent shivers down her spine, but did.

_ I’ll just blame that on the cold. _ She thought. “Ugh, anyways, shall we get going then? I feel my fingers going numb.”

“Yeah.”

The two walked in silence with a more relaxed air around them, not at all tense and awkward like before. 

Clouds were streaked in the sky above them, making it look like the ripples of a river. 

Snow piled along the sidewalk of the neighborhood they were strolling along in, and if you squint closely, you could make out pawprints of some random animals that have wandered through.

It was quite a peaceful walk, the two listening to the singing of the winter birds. It felt almost romantic.

_ Almost _ .

The pair reached Gina’s house, Nate turning to face the other.

“Well. We’ve reached your destination. I guess… I’ll be heading to my home now.”

“So… umm… see you tomorrow?” She gave a crooked smile to the other.

“Yeah… see you.”

Before she could say anything else, Nate wrapped his arms around her which startled her.

“What are you—”

“ _ People are watching _ .” He whispered into her ear. Gina looked around, noticing some people walking by. “ _ Remember? We’re a ‘couple.’ We gotta act buddy-buddy. _ ”

“Oh.  _ Right _ .” She snorted, rolling her eyes before hesitatingly hugging him back.

After a couple of seconds of embracing each other, they both stepped back, blushing.

“Boy, will I be glad when this is over.” Nate chuckled softly.

“Ha ha, yep.”

Gina watched the other walk towards the direction of his house, feeling a sudden heaviness in her heart.


	4. Chapter 4 - Wednesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School libraries and banter.
> 
> i'm terrible at summaries

Three boys sat at a lunch table, munching on their food and talking about life. 

“Nate, you should thank us for bringing you two together. We’re like your wingmen.” Francis said when the topic of love came up in their conversation.

“Uhh… what?”

“Y’know… you and Gina? Without us, you two morons wouldn’t have known you have the hots for each other!”

“Wait— huh?”

“We were the ones that dared you to ask her out. If we didn’t, you two would have remained bitter enemies.”

“Oh. Uhhh… y-yeah… thanks for that, I guess…” Nate mumbled. His burnt sandwich was a lot more interesting to look at today. 

_ Remember, once I win this bet, we split the reward, we break up. Easy as that. _

Why did he feel a bit disheartened at that?  _ We aren’t even actual boyfriend and girlfriend in the first place! _

“Man, I wish I could join your guys’s double date…” Teddy sighed before sipping on his chocolate milk. “I’d love to see the disaster unfold.” He eyed the ravenette, who only slouched, blushing.

“Well… you could be our third wheel?” Francis suggested, “Well… more like  _ fifth _ wheel, but same thing.”

“Hmm,  _ maybe _ . When and where is it going to be? I think my parents are going to make me clean my room after school or something tomorrow…”

“Oh, it’s gonna be on Friday at around 5 PM. We’re gonna meet up at the movie theater and pick out some movie from there.”

“Huh. Okay. I think I can make it if your girlfriends are cool with me coming along.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine with you.”

The two went on with their conversation, leaving Nate to quietly indulge in his own thoughts.

_ Girlfriend… girlfriend… I know we’re just pretending to be a couple… but… is it weird that I actually want us to be together for real? _

He stopped chewing on his sandwich, his eyes widening in what he just thought.

_ Yeah, it is freaking weird to  _ like _ her. She hates you. You hate her. That’s just our relationship. Mutual hatred for each other. We’re only working together to win this bet, that’s all. _

He finished eating his lunch, stuffing the rest of the inedible parts into the paper bag.

“I’m gonna go use the bathroom. I’ll be back.” Nate announced to his friends as he was stepping out of the bench he was sitting on. 

Francis and Teddy gave a small nod to him as he walked out of the cafeteria, tossing the paper bag into a trashcan nearby.

_ The restroom excuse always works.  _ The ravenette thought as he wandered aimlessly around the hallways, unsure of what to do. He needed some things to think over, like his feelings for his second worst nemesis.

_ I don’t like her. I don’t like her. I don’t like her… _ His mind chanted those words like some cult sacrificing a goat for their dark lord. But he knew in the deepest corners of his mind that he was lying to himself.

Nate approached the library and quietly slipped inside. He didn’t really feel like doing anything, he just wanted to be somewhere that was quiet, wallowing in his own thoughts, which was a complete 180 of his personality.

The ravenette grabbed a random book from a shelf and began walking towards a table. He grabbed a chair in front of him and was about to sit down until...

“Nate? What are  _ you _ doing here?”

He froze, collecting his thoughts and snapping back to reality, realizing that he hadn’t been paying attention to his surroundings. Panic began rising in his body, but he forced his voice to remain steady.

“Oh. Hi Gina. I didn’t notice you.”

“Wha— ? How did you  _ not  _ notice me? You were staring right at me.”

“Uhhh… I was spacing out, sorry.” Nate shrugged, sitting down in his seat and opening the book to a random page, “I was just in the mood to… errr… read.”

The other raised an eyebrow but made no comment on that. “Mmkay.” She glanced over at the words on the page he was boredly staring at, eyes laser focused on the middle of the paper.

“ _ Oooh _ , I didn’t know you were into romance.”

“Huh? No, I’m not.”

“Then why are you reading that?”

“I’m not— Oh.” He scanned the book over, feeling a blush creep along his face.  _ Out of all the literature in the world, I just had to randomly pick this one out, huh? _

Nate closed the book, sighing. He took a good look at the cover, which clearly showed that this was indeed one of those cheesy love stories. The ravenette glanced over to Gina, who was reading something about cats based on the book’s cover. 

His eyes wandered up to her face, eyes widening in surprise at how…

_ No. Not cute. NOT  _ **_CUTE_ ** _. _

Let’s just say how…  _ interesting _ she looked. Her light blue eyes were half-lidded, staring at the words before her. Her lips were curved into a small smile, the glasses on her face slightly askew. She looked up at him, raising an eyebrow as their gazes met.

Nate froze, feeling his breath catch in his throat. The two stared at one another, getting lost in each other's eyes. Green meeting blue. They both felt their faces heating up the longer they stared at the other. 

Gina was the one to break eye contact, looking back down at her book, knuckles white as she gripped onto the book she was reading like it was life support.

“W-why were y-you  _ looking  _ at m-me like that?” She stammered, slowly lifting the novel to hide her face in embarrassment.

The other blinked before glancing away, feeling his face redden. “Because,” He paused, feeling his heart beat faster, “B-Because… well… y-you’re kind of…”

There was a silence between them that seemed to stretch for hours, even though it was like a minute. They both fidgeted nervously in their seats, uncomfortable at the awkwardness between them.

“I’m kind of…?” Gina lowered the book a bit, tilting her head.

“W-well, you’re k-kind of-of... a-a-ado— adoooo- _ adorrrrrrr—  _ “

“ _ Jesus Christ _ . What are you, a broken record player?”

“ **_ADORABLE_ ** !”

The room went silent as the librarian glared at them along with other couple of students that were trying to study or read nearby.

“Sorry… sorry…” Nate whispered, smiling apologetically to the bystanders. He turned back to face the blonde, whose eyes were wide open in shock. She started opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water gasping for air.

“Wh…  _ what _ ?” Gina’s voice came out hoarse, her mind still processing what the other just yelled out.

“I said you’re, erm,  _ kind of _ adorable. Okay? Not like some major hottie, hell no. I just think… well… you’re  _ conventionally  _ attractive?”

If there was a cliff nearby, Nate would be jumping off of it right now, writing his will as he was falling down.  _ God, this is embarrassing. _

The blonde stared at him before giving a small smile, “Uhmmm, t-thanks.” She mumbled, “ _ I guess you’re  _ kind of _ adorable, too… _ ”

“Heh… you don’t need to whisper it. Remember, we’re ‘ _ together _ .’” The ravenette winked, nudging her arm.

“O-oh.  _ Right _ .” Gina cringed, hearing her voice tremble towards the end.

_ So what he just said was just pretend, huh? I mean… duh, of course it would be. He wouldn’t just say that because he thinks I’m actually cute… it’s all just an act.  _ She felt tears form at the edge of her vision, quickly blinking them away.  _ Why do I feel… sad about this? I mean, he’s the literal worst! Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but, still... _

“In all seriousness,” Nate smiled, reaching out to hold her hand. The other flinched in surprise but allowed his fingers to wrap around hers. “You  _ are  _ kind 0f pretty.”

“How touching.” She rolled her eyes, smiling back.

“What can I say? I’m a pretty charming guy if I do say so myself.”

“ _ Pfffft _ , as if.”

“Oh yeah? I bet I can seduce you even more than you’re seduced now!”

“I wasn’t even  _ seduced  _ in the first place!”

“You will be now!” He paused, placing his fingers under his chin, “Hmm… what do narcissistic suck up nerds like the most…”

“ _ Definitely _ not someone like you if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Ouch, my poor ego.”

They looked at each other for a moment before bursting into a fit of giggles, making sure to keep their voices down.

“Y’know, we should talk like this more often… it’s more fun than just insulting each other...” Gina said, feeling her face heat up a what she just confessed.

“Y-yeah... Maybe after this is all over we can become  _ frenemies _ or something like that.”

“Ha ha, yeah...”

She watched the ravenette stand up, saying that he was going to go get another book that he would actually read, and walked off into the aisles, leaving the blonde by herself.

Gina looked down at her left hand, where Nate had just held it. She felt her heart flutter, cheeks deepening into a scarlet color.

She never realized how warm his hands are… she wouldn’t mind holding them more often...


	5. Chapter 5 - Thursday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interviews and awkwardness.

“ **_Hellooo_ ** ~!”

Nate and Gina froze, too scared to turn backwards to where the voice came from. There were students hanging around by the lockers, talking about who knows what. 

Other peers were briskly walking past them, accidentally nudging them out of the way, but there was a particular person they didn’t want to bump into today...

They knew it was inevitable but they had been hoping they could delay it by avoiding  _ her _ .

“ _ Do you think we can run for it? _ ” The ravenette whispered to the other, hearing the footsteps becoming louder and closer. The doors exiting the school were in front of them, a couple feet away. 

“ _ She’ll just chase us down, and I don’t wanna skip a class just because I don’t want to talk with someone. Plus, I’m not that athletic… _ ”

“ _ Fucking fantastic... You know, at least I’m kind enough to not ditch you to fend for yourself… _ ”

“ _ Wow. How kind of you. _ ” The blonde replied, rolling her eyes.

They both stiffened as they felt taps on their shoulders. They both slowly turned around, using every bit of willpower to keep their expressions neutral.

“Heeeeey, Dee Dee…” Nate forced a smile, his eye twitching. Usually, he would be pleased to see his friend around, but they all know that she’s not just here for a casual chat.

“ _ Soooo _ … You guys are the hottest new couple in 6th grade, huh? Congratulations, you two! Honestly, we’ve all seen this coming sooner or later.”

“Thanks…” The couple replied, voice wavering off towards the end.

“Now, I’ve got a couple of questions to ask you… for the blog, y’know?” The tanned skinned girl winked, grabbing out a notepad. 

The other two inwardly groaned but kept their smiles on their faces.

“Okay! Question 1; Who asked who out first?”

“I did, of course.” Nate piped up, wrapping an arm around Gina. She felt her heart hammer in her chest, but quickly brushed it off as some sugar buzz. They watched as Dee Dee scribbled something down before looking up back at them.

“Mmkay! Question 2; How did you two realize your  _ feelings  _ for each other? Like, we all know you two ‘hated’ each other but we really didn’t expect for you guys to go steady with each other so early on. I predicted it was going to be the start of high school or something…”

Nate and Gina glanced at each other anxiously, shrugging their shoulders.

“Well… hmm… I’ve always thought my emotions for her was just hatred and jealousy, because she got better grades than me, y’know? But as time went on, we—  _ errr _ — I guess I saw more sides of her and just continued being mean to her to cover up my  _ true  _ feelings?”

“Y-yeah. Same here.” She said before whispering so only the ravenette could hear,  “ _ Great improv. _ ”

“ _ Thanks _ .” He murmured back.

“Awww, how sweet! Anyways, onto question 3; How would you describe the other person in three words?”

“Sweet, charming, and artistic.” The blonde said through gritted teeth, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Caring, diligent, and smart…” He glared at her, his smile obviously forced.

“I’m just going to ignore how fake that sounded… Now let’s see here… Okay! Question 4; How would you describe your first kisses with each other? I mean, lots of people saw it as clear as day and saw how nervous you two were with each other, but I want to know what you two  _ really  _ felt during it!”

There was a moment of silence, Nate and Gina looking down at the floor as their faces grew red. They felt a couple of people look their way, adding more pressure onto them.

“ _ Uh…  _ C-can we put no c-comment on that...?” The blonde asked as she dug her shoe into the floor nervously.

“Nope! Sorry, but the readers need to know!”

“ _ Heh heh… greeaat… _ ” The ravenette gulped before clearing his throat, “Well, let’s just say she needs to apply chapstick or something, because her lips were dry as  _ hell _ .”

“Not like  _ you  _ can say anything! I thought I was kissing the  _ Sahara Desert _ ! I think your lips are dryer than mine.” Gina snapped, gritting her teeth.

“How about when you go out shopping to buy some chapstick, buy a manual on how to  _ kiss _ properly? You were terrible.”

“It was literally just a  _ peck _ , not a full blown make out session, you idiot.” She turned to the bystanders that were starting to crowd around, listening into what was going on, “Plus, you’d think a guy like  _ him _ who had four girlfriends would be a better kisser! But alas, it was only disappointment that touched my lips.”

“Okay, so I  _ panicked _ a bit, what of it? Would you have liked it if I didn’t kiss you, huh? Just leaving you hanging?”

“Well…  _ no _ . That would’ve made things more awkward than it already was...”

“Then how about we do it again, hmm? Since you clearly didn’t like our  _ first _ one, let’s do a  _ retake _ !”

There was a moment of silence between the two, eyes widening in shock on what he just said. They heard gasping and “oooh”ing coming from the audience around them, feeling the air crackle between them.

“Wh—  _ What _ ?! L-like… ri-right here… right now...?”

They glanced at the people around them before looking back at the other, feeling their faces grow hot. The air stilled around them. It felt like the whole world was holding their breath, waiting for what was going to happen next.

“...W-well…” He gulped, “ _ No _ . Of course not  _ here… _ ”

This earned a collective groan from the crowd, a couple of students walking away in disappointment.

“ _ Nice ad-lib there. Now they’ll think that we’re wusses. _ ” Gina whispered to Nate, who shot her a glare.

“ _ At least I saved us from kissing each other a  _ **_second_ ** _ time. _ ”

The other glanced down at the binder and textbooks in her hands, mouth curving into a slight frown.

“ _I mean…_ _I wouldn’t have minded doing it again…_ ”

The ravenette was about to open his mouth, confusion in his eyes, but was quickly interrupted.

“Oh  _ well _ , I guess I can’t force it… though everyone would have  _ loved _ to see it.” Dee Dee sighed dramatically, “But this certainly gave me a lot of  _ interesting  _ content for the blog! Thanks, you two!”

She gave a quick wink at them as she skipped off, the crowd dissipating back into their own friend groups, leaving the two of them by themselves.

“What an interview.” Gina sighed, leaning against the locker behind her in exhaustion. “I bet she’ll come back to ask more questions later… we were only on  _ question 4 _ !”

“Oh boy…” Nate muttered, digging his shoe into the floor. “How about next time she comes up to us we  _ run _ ?”

“I already told you, I’m not that athletic.”

“So? I can carry you!”

“I doubt you have the strength, but whatever you say…”

“Hey, aren’t you my ‘girlfriend’? How about you be more  _ encouraging _ ?”

“In your dreams.” She rolled her eyes, playfully smirking.

The other sighed in mock disappointment, “‘Tis a shame…” He paused before looking at her questioningly, “Oh yeah, what did you mean by ‘ _ I wouldn’t have minded doing it again _ ’?”

“Hm?”

“Well... y’know… when I said that I saved us from  _ kissing  _ each other again? And then you said… whatever  _ that _ was.”

“O-oh.” Gina blushed, “I— er— I was… thinking about something else and was replying to my mind… not to our conversation… I guess I accidentally said it out loud, ha ha.”

She inwardly cringed at that obvious lie. She wasn’t really good at coming up with BS on the spot, but what could she do? Admit that she actually wanted to do a take 2 with a kiss that was less awkward and have it be more  _ passionate _ ? To actually have sparks fly in the air or something cheesy like that?

Hell no. She was  _ not _ going to confess her strange feelings for him. Well... at least not  _ now _ . Nate simply looked at her, raising an eyebrow before shrugging.

_ Why are emotions so difficult to understand? _


	6. Chapter 6 - Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Double dates and hand holding.

“Hey! Over here!”

Nate walked over to the group of four who were waiting for him in the lobby of the movie theater

“You’re late. I expected for you and Gina to come here together.” Francis said, raising an eyebrow.

“Sorry, Mrs. Czerwicki was ranting about her husband and I guess she lost track of time.” He eyed the popcorn they were holding, “So I’m guessing you guys already picked out the movie we’re going to watch?”

“Yeah. C’mon, let’s get going.”

They all got their tickets checked and headed over to the theater the movie was being shown at. The five took their seats in the back, Nate at the end with Gina at his left side.

“What even is it about?” The ravenette asked, shoving the piece of paper into his coat’s pocket.

“No clue.” She shrugged, “We just picked out a title that sounded cool. I’m guessing it’s a horror movie based on the poster.”

“Oh boy.” He laughed nervously, “Out of all the movies in the theater you guys just  _ had _ to choose this one?”

“Sorry.” Gina replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes before whispering, “ _ Oh yeah… how should we show them that we’re in ‘love’ with each other…? This is  _ basically  _ the final test and I’m sure they’re going to look at us from time to time and if we just sit here doing nothing then… well, we lose I guess. _ ”

“ _ Well, we’re watching a horror movie… can’t really set the mood here… _ ”

They both sat in silence, trying to think of a solution to their problem. The theater darkened as the movie began to play before them, the scene opening up to some neighborhood.

“ _ Maybe we can hold each other's hands? Subtle yet… intimate? _ ” He cringed at the word. Intimate with  _ Gina _ ? What an absurd thought.

“ _ Oh god… _ ” Her face contorted to a disgusted expression, “ _ I mean… it won’t be  _ too _ bad, right? We’ve kissed… so this is like nothing! _ ”

“ _ Y-yeah… but that was like one second. Barely nothing compared to the two hours of hand-holding we have to do. _ ”

They both heard a sudden crash, making them both flinch in surprise. They looked around frantically before noticing it came from the movie. A vase has been pushed over, the pottery shattered into pieces across the floor.

“Stupid jumpscares…” Gina grumbled, flushing in embarrassment from getting frightened by something like that.

“ _ I think that took 10 years off my lifespan… _ ” Nate groaned, feeling his heartbeat ring in his ears.

" _S_ _ ame here. _ ”

They glanced at each other, small smiles on their faces. The ravenette looked down at her hand which was laying on the armrest.

_ Holding hands with your worst enemy can’t be  _ too  _ bad, right? _

He reached out hesitantly, his hand trembling nervously. He clumsily wrapped his fingers around hers, intertwining them together.

“ **WHA—** ?!” The blonde sputtered out, confused. Nate quickly shushed her, pressing a finger against her lips.

“ _ Act natural. _ ” He whispered, eyeing warily at some people nearby who turned their heads to them, startled at the noise.

Gina stifled a sigh, staring down at the ravenette’s left hand held around her right hand. She felt a blush creep on her face, feeling her heart beat faster. She felt very…  _ nervous _ ? 

The blonde imagined the two of them holding hands in a more romantic scenery, being more  _ affectionate  _ with each other. She quickly batted those daydreams away, feeling perspiration dripping down her forehead.

_ Is it weird that I want us to stay like this...? _

At first she wanted to say  _ YES! IT IS WEIRD!  _ But she knew deep down that denial would just make her feel worse.

_ No. It isn’t strange… I _ — _ I’m not in love with that dork… Am I…? _

Gina cut that thought short, biting the inside of her cheek.  _ Focus, focus! _

“ _ Your palms are sweaty. _ ” She commented, trying to ignore her own clammy hands.

“ _ Oh wow! I didn’t notice! _ ” He whispered bitterly, narrowing his green eyes at her before looking back towards the movie. The other snorted, turning her head back towards the film in front of them.

This was going to be a long hour.


	7. Chapter 7 - Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confessions and kisses.

“Wooh! What a movie! I honestly saw that twist ending from a mile away, but it was still nice.” Teddy said as he stretched. The theater was emptying out as the credits rolled on the screen.

The others nodded in agreement, commenting their own opinions as they exited the building. The five began walking towards their neighborhood, ready to say goodbye to each other. 

Gina looked down at her hand, blushing. She could still feel his warmth, fingers intertwined with hers. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying her best to think of something else, yet her thoughts always came back to  _ him _ .

“So… we went on this date… and we proved to you guys that we are an official couple, correct? We even held hands, which is the most romantic you can get at the movie theater! So that means we win this bet,  _ correct _ ?” She heard Nate’s voice, a hint of smugness in it. 

He was keeping his voice low so that only Teddy and Francis could hear but she guessed he was supposed to be “secretive” so that she wouldn’t “overhear” and find out it was all some dare. 

Gina decided to play along and pretended to ignore what was happening in front of her.

“Oh…” The other two boys said in unison, frowning at each other. 

“Well that’s 15 dollars gone from my life.” Francis sighed, taking his wallet out. The other fished out a couple of bucks from his pocket and the two handed over the money.

“WOO HOO! I’M RICH!” Nate shouted, jumping up gleefully. He froze, realizing how loud he was, before going back to his calm yet satisfied expression, holding his hand out, “And the jumbo bag of Cheese Doodlez?”

“Like we would take  _ that  _ everywhere with us, moron.” The other rolled his eyes, 

“We’ll bring it tomorrow.”

“Tsk, fine.”

The group walked in a peaceful quietness for a bit before the ravenette stopped abruptly, tugging Gina’s sleeve which made her stumble back towards him a bit.

“ _ I need to talk to you… _ ” He whispered to her, watching the others walking away without them. He made sure they were out of hearing range before turning to her, nudging her ribs and cocking his head to the opposite direction of where they were walking to.

_ Well. This is it. He’s going to give me my share and then we “break up.” I mean, this is all just pretend, zero feelings between us… yet… Why does my heart feel heavy?  _ Gina exhaled, watching her the white puff formed from her breath float off into nothingness.

The two walked in silence towards the direction of the movie theater. The icy wind picked up, making them both shiver from the cold. They looked at each other before silently agreeing to huddle close for warmth.

“Remember. We’re only this close because we’re… cold.” Nate said, his voice wavering off towards the end.

“Right. We’re just cold.” The blonde confirmed half-heartedly before adding, “Where are we even going? Isn’t our houses  _ that  _ way?”

“Eh. I don’t want them watching me giving you the money. That would raise some suspicion, you know? Let’s go to the library. Nobody will suspect us to be there.”

“Nobody will suspect  _ you  _ to be there.”

“Exactly!” He exclaimed before pausing, realizing what she just said. Gina walked ahead of him, a smirk on her face.

“That was rude.”

“I’m an honest man, what can I say?” She shrugged as the other caught up to her, hissing from the cold air getting into his lungs.

“Pfft. How about our ‘relationship?’ That ain’t honest.”

“ _ I wish it was… _ ”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Nate looked at her in confusion, raising an eyebrow. The other looked down at the ground, feeling her face heat up, wanting to disappear from this awkward situation. She noticed the familiar lights ahead of her, sighing in relief.

“Well, we’re here. Let’s get inside, I’m freezing my ass off.” Gina said quickly, pushing the doors open and entering the warm building. The other followed behind, taking his hat off and putting it into his coat pocket.

“It’s quiet.” He commented as they walked over to some shelves, running his fingers along the spines of the books.

“Well, it  _ is  _ the library. Did you expect it to be loud or something? Plus, it’s like 6:50, not many people would be here at that time.”

“I know that.” He shot her a glare, “I was talking to myself.”

The other simply rolled her eyes. They reached the end of the aisle, where they wouldn’t be noticed that well. Nate stared at Gina for a moment, fidgeting nervously.

“Well… I suppose this is where we… ‘ _ break up _ ?’” He sighed dramatically, “ _ Oh how I will miss those sweet kisses and warm hugs, etcetera, etcetera… but now I must go off to my homeland, my dear! _ ”

She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye, “ _ Truly, I’m heartbroken. Why oh why must fate keep us apart? _ ”

They giggled quietly at that weird skit before regaining composure. The ravenette took out 15 bucks and handed it over to her like they were dealing drugs. 

Gina stuffed the papers into her pocket before glancing up to him, flinching in surprise at how he was staring at her. His expression remained neutral but in his eyes there was something… sad in them. He blinked at her before realizing what he was doing and quickly looked away, blushing.

“I… um… it was nice being your fake boyfriend.” He smiled awkwardly.

“And it was nice being your fake girlfriend.” She smiled back, a sad glint in her eyes.

They stared into each other's eyes, green meeting blue. Gina bit her lip, breaking the gaze as she felt her face redden. The two stood in silence, the only sound was the vents humming in the background, the cool air giving goosebumps on their skin. Nate opened his mouth, about to say something, but the words died on his tongue. The other looked at him for a moment before giving a sad smile. She turned away and was about to walk away until...

“I…” Nate mumbled before speaking up again, “I-I have something to…  _ confess _ .”

“ _ Hm _ ?” She sniffed, turning around as she tried her best to blink the tears away.

“W-well, this is going to sound…  _ really  _ absurd but...” He clenched his fist, digging his fingernails into his palms, “But… I think I  _ like  _ you. I mean, like, I want to be… your  _ actual  _ boyfriend.”

Gina froze, her eyes widening in surprise.  _ H-he’s joking, right? I mean, This is reality we’re talking about! No Hollywood endings here.  _ She casted her eyes down, feeling her heart become heavy again. She could feel the others gaze on her, waiting for an answer. 

_ Too good to be true... _

“Are… are you pulling a prank on me? This  _ has  _ to be a joke…  _ y-you can’t just mess with people's feelings like this... _ ” Her voice trembled, barely a whisper towards the end.

“If I was joking would I do  _ this _ ?”

Nate leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers. Gina let out a small squeak, startled at the sudden action. The ravenette had his hands on her arms, pulling her closer to him. She stared at him for a moment before closing her eyes, leaning into the kiss.

They stayed like that for a couple of seconds, melting into each other’s touch before separating, opening their eyes. Both of their faces were flushed red as they avoided each other's gaze, too flustered to do anything at the moment.

“I…” Gina cleared her throat anxiously, a smile creeping on her face, “I would also like to be your… real girlfriend.”

Nate smiled back, his heart racing from giddiness. “N-Nice!"

“Seriously? ‘ _ Nice _ ?’ After that tender kiss and heartwarming confession?” She rolled her eyes.

“Well what else was I supposed to say?” He shrugged, “Something cheesy and cliche?”

“Something more  _ romantic _ ?”

“Like, ‘Oh  _ wow _ . That was the  _ greatest  _ moment of my life. Kissing my arch enemy, Gina Hemphill-Toms, in a public library. My life has  _ peaked _ . It’s all downhill from here.’” He said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. 

The other swatted his arm in annoyance, though there was a playful glimmer in her eyes.

“Close enough.” She giggled before leaning into him, giving a quick peck on the lips.

Gina watched as his face flushed more, a dreamy grin spread across his face. She couldn’t help but do the same, feeling her heart beat faster.

“I hate you.” Nate murmured, intertwining his fingers with hers.

“I hate you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how do u write endings lmaooo
> 
> the plot was all over the place but i hope you guys still enjoyed (ɔ◔‿◔)ɔ


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